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By Iddi Yire<\/p>\n
Accra, Nov 02, GNA \u2013 The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Minority Caucus in Parliament has urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to do something about the petroleum price hikes in order to cushion the ordinary Ghanaian from the global economic hardship.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mr John Abdulai Jinapor, Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Mines and Energy, speaking at a press conference at Parliament House in Accra, appealed to the Government to help mitigate the economic hardship facing Ghanaians by taking measures to address the petroleum price hikes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said one would have thought that following the national address by the President, things would begin to calm down \u201cIt is sad, it is really, really sad to note that fuel price today is going through the roofs\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ordinary Ghanaian is suffering, workers are suffering, teachers are suffering, MPs are suffering, evening the man on the street is suffering. You journalists, you are even suffering the more because you have to be moving up and down to cover stories. It is sad. It is very, very sad,\u201d Mr Jinapor said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0He alleged \u201cBut even more importantly, I wish to place on record that this government is making so much money from the Ukraine-Russian war.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said in the 2022 budget, Government projected that it would receive a total amount of about six billion Ghana Cedis for the whole of 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was what was projected. Today, as we speak, from the Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC) Report, in less than three months, even the price stabilisation and recovery levy which is supposed to subsidize fuel, government projected that in the first two quarters it would receive 269 million Ghana Cedis, as we speak from the Ministry of Finance\u2019s own record, Government has received about 800 million Ghana Cedis,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He reiterated that the notion that Government was not making revenue was a fallacy; adding that \u201cIt is a complete falsehood. Government is making so much money from our petroleum resources.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He called call on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the Minister of Finance to do something about this price increments.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He urged the government to apply the alleged huge supernatural profit to cushion the ordinary Ghanaian.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mr Jinapor, who is also the Member of Parliament for Yapei-Kusawgu, said \u201cI feel very sad as a Member of Parliament, when on a daily basis, I receive calls from my members in the constituency, who cannot even afford one square meal a day\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople cannot even send their kids to school because of the exorbitant fuel prices, which is having cascading effect on food prices and the general cost of living. We hold the view that Government can do something about the fuel price increment.\u201d Mr Jinapor said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He suggested that the Tema Oil Refinery as a matter of urgency with immediate effect, should process Ghana\u2019s domestic crude (oil), that could give Ghanaians about 45 thousand barrels of processed crude every day.\u00a0<\/p>\n
GNA\u00a0<\/p>\n